Celebration

The Tet celebration will be in full bloom this weekend as the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations hosts the annual Tet Festival of Southern California. The students and volunteers have been running the festival – the largest outside of Viet Nam – for more than 30 years. More than 100,000 people are expected to take part in the cultural activities, visit food and exhibitor vendors, play games and enjoy the entertainment.

Photo Courtesy of www.tetfestival.org

The festival will be held at Garden Grove Park, 9301 Westminster Ave., in Garden Grove. It opens at 3 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. It will close at 10 p.m. the first two days and at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Free parking is available at Bolsa Grande High School, 9401 Westminster Ave.; hop on a free shuttle from there on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

It's that time of year when the Lunar calendar pushes aside the Gregorian calendar and brings about a celebration of fresh flowers, tropical fruits, colorful trinkets, lion dances, and a plethora of food and fortune greetings to mark the occasion.

Nearly 200 Asian-Americans gathered in Little Saigon on Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s efforts to deport protected Vietnamese immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States since fleeing their home country during the Vietnam War.